


Fireworks and Lullabies

by smug_albatross



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, fireworks suck if you have PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25084336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smug_albatross/pseuds/smug_albatross
Summary: It's Empire Day; Rex and Ahsoka are stuck planetside. Neither of them like fireworks.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 12
Kudos: 102





	Fireworks and Lullabies

Ahsoka wakes to the sound of explosions.

Her lightsaber is in her hand before she’s even registered that she’s upright. Across the room, Rex jerks upright, eyes wild.

There’s a long, tense stretch of silence.

_BOOM._

_“Osik,”_ Rex gasps, lunging for his blasters - right next to the mattress, like always. “What -?”

“Wait,” Ahsoka blurts out. She’s staring at the battered calendar pinned to the wall.

“It’s not bombs,” she says dully, slumping back onto her cot.

It’s Empire Day.

Rex freezes. Follows her gaze. Sets down his blasters.

Another round of fireworks goes off, making them both flinch.

They sit in silence, listening to the bangs and the crackles. There isn’t much they can do - power in this sector is cut after 1900 and neither of them have a secure line to the Rebellion to ask for work (something, anything to take their mind off the fireworks). They won’t be in contact with the others until they finish their mission on Ibaar. It’s nothing too strenuous, just aid smuggling, but they’ve been grounded until Primeday so they’re stuck here.

Them and about a hundred other disgruntled captains, so their cover _probably_ isn’t blown. Yet.

_Bang-bang-bang-bang._

“Wish we had sabaac cards,” Ahsoka says into the following silence.

Rex makes an odd noise in his throat. Ahsoka turns sharply - it’s been several years since Mandalore and they’ve been working together for most of it. She has a large index of ‘sounds Rex makes’ and this one is definitely bad.

“Rex?” she calls. He doesn’t respond. _“Dr̀ukir̀?”_

There’s another odd noise - Ahsoka vaults lightly off her cot and kneels next to Rex’s mattress. “Hey, Rex,” she says gently, taking one of his hands in her own. He’s shaking - now that she’s closer, she can hear the hitch in his breathing. “You’re still with me, okay?”

She casts a glance around the room - they don’t have much with them. Armor. Weapons. Nothing they didn’t have during the war. No ice, either - there was a trick with ice she’d learned on Ord Mantell, when she’d been stuck in a flashback of her own.

_BOOM. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM._

Rex shudders and grips at her hand with all his strength. She bites her tongue to keep from flinching - his grip was always strong, and it’s only gotten stronger with age. “Commander -”

“Just Ahsoka,” she reminds him gently. “Hey, Rex, d’you remember those songs from Shili?”

Rex nods tightly. Ahsoka rubs his shoulder - Rex leans into her touch, tucking his chin to his chest and exhaling shakily.

That’s good. That’s progress.

“Eminkir̀ kwoa,” she starts, keeping her voice low and soft. “Limo kwoa.”

_Pop-pop-pop._

Ahsoka swallows hard. “Pi lipar̀est bi fosti fleksu fr̀or̀.”

Rex shudders. “Pi.. pi lipar̀est…”

Fireworks _crackle_ overhead. Rex flinches.

“It’s okay,” Ahsoka murmurs. “Eminkir̀ kwoa… limo kwoa…”

“E-eminkir̀,” Rex rasps. “Eminkir̀ kwoa… limo kwoa -”

_BANG._

Rex cries out, grabbing at her blindly. “Ahsoka - I can’t, I - _Ahsoka -”_

“It’s okay,” Ahsoka soothes, shifting so she has an arm wrapped around his shoulders, letting him bury his face in the crook of her neck. “It’s okay, Rex. We’re safe. It’s just the fireworks. We’re not in danger. Just sing as much as you can, okay?”

“...okay.” Rex’s voice is barely a whisper.

Ahsoka hums a few notes before she starts singing again. “Pi lipar̀est,” she croons, “gr̀i bi bluspur̀for̀.”

“Pi lipar̀est,” Rex whispers. “gr̀i bi… bluspur̀for̀.”

The sky thunders again with distant fireworks.

“Eminkir̀ kwoa,” Ahsoka sings, letting Rex tuck himself closer against her. “Limo kwoa.” Her men are - _were_ \- tactile people. In the past, there would have been half a dozen clustered together, holding each other up, offering comfort. Now, it was just the two of them.

“Eminkir̀ kwoa.” Rex’s voice is still rough and teary, but it’s stronger now. “Limo kwoa.”

“Limo klisir̀.” Ahsoka scowls at the ceiling, like she can stop the fireworks if she gets mad enough. “Kwer̀est kor̀i bluspur̀ for̀.”

“Limo klisir̀,” Rex repeats. His shaking is starting to subside. “Kwer̀est - kwer̀est kor̀i bluspur̀ for̀.”

Ahsoka pulls Rex a little closer. “Eminkir̀ kwoa. Limo kwoa.” Rex doesn’t repeat her words that time, so Ahsoka sings the last line, resting her cheek on the top of Rex’s head. “Or̀pr̀ebel kod kol i ber̀demu fr̀or̀.”

“Or̀pr̀ebel kod kol i ber̀demu fr̀or̀,” Rex murmurs.

Silence falls again. It’s not so tense, this time - just tired, and a little sad. The fireworks die out in fairly short order. Rex’s breathing evens and deepens after that, returning to a slightly shakier normal.

“Rex?” Ahsoka murmurs. “You still with me?”

Rex pulls away, turning aside and not looking her in the eye. “Fine,” he mutters. “Sorry, kid.”

Ahsoka keeps her fingers twined with Rex’s. “It’s okay, Rex,” she says softly. “You would have done the same for me.” He has, in the past - neither of them made it through the war unscathed, and they keep collecting new scars with the Rebellion.

Rex’s shoulders slump. “Yeah,” he says softly. “I would’ve.” He squeezes her hand gently. _“Vod’ika.”_

A grin flashes across Ahsoka’s face without her input. “I’m four years older than you.”

Rex, who is already going grey at the temples, looks at her deadpan. _“Vod’ika,”_ he repeats.

Ahsoka squeezes her hand back. _“Vod’ika.”_

* * *

_Little hunter, little brother_

_The stars are watching over you._

_Little hunter, little brother_

_The stars, they are never ending_

_Little hunter, little brother_

_Baby brother, the sky will never end_

_Little hunter, little brother_

_Simply know that I love you_

**Author's Note:**

> I made the Togruti language for my fic Living in Borrowed Time, but I'm using it here.
> 
> Togruti Translations  
>  _Dr̀ukir̀_ \- honor family member (lit. hunt-kin)  
>  _Eminkir̀ kwoa_ \- little hunter  
>  _Limo kwoa_ \- little brother  
>  _Pi lipar̀est bi fosti fleksu fr̀or̀_ \- the stars are watching over you  
>  _Pi lipar̀est gr̀i bi bluspur̀for̀_ \- the stars, they are never-ending  
>  _Limo klisir̀_ \- baby brother  
>  _Kwer̀est kor̀i bluspur̀ for̀_ \- the sky will never end  
>  _Or̀pr̀ebel kod kol i ber̀demu fr̀or̀_ \- simply know that I love you
> 
> Mando'a Translations  
>  _osik_ \- crap (expletive)  
>  _vod'ika_ \- little sibling


End file.
